


O’ Christmas Tree, O’ Christmas Tree

by Strength_in_pain



Series: Comforting Peter Parker because he deserves love [19]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Awesome May Parker (Spider-Man), Christmas Fluff, Christmas Tree, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Grieving May Parker, Grieving Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) Needs a Hug, Precious Peter Parker, Supportive May Parker (Spider-Man)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:48:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27820018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strength_in_pain/pseuds/Strength_in_pain
Summary: I’ll go check the attic again.” Peter exclaimed. He heard May singing O’Christmas Tree as he climbed back into the attic to find the missing star. He searched high and low until he found a little box covered in cobwebs and dust hidden beneath one of Peter’s old baby blankets.ORPeter and May are decorating the tree for the first time since Ben’s death and Peter finds an old box of Ben’s up in the attic. #fluff #comfort #grief
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker
Series: Comforting Peter Parker because he deserves love [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1698844
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	O’ Christmas Tree, O’ Christmas Tree

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh here it is!! Behold, the first of a few Christmas fics from me to you! 😇 I woke up and it was snowing so I thought it was just the perfect sign. :) 
> 
> Love you all ❤️ Please enjoy.

“Peter? You who, Peter?” 

Jumping at the hand on his shoulder, Peter took the headphones out of his ears. “Oh May. You scared me.”

“Are you listening to Christmas music?”

“Um...”

May laughed, knowing the answer before even asking. She ruffled his hair, messing it all up. Peter protest mildly but he accepted the small gesture of affection. 

“I was searching all over the place for our artificial tree and then I remembered we left it in the attic above your bedroom.”

Peter hummed, twiddling a pencil between his fingers and thumb while he stared at the 

trigonometry question that wasn’t solving itself. Find the lengths of all sides of the right triangle below if the area is 400.

Peter tapped his foot. So Pythagoras theorem is (2x)^2 +(x)^2 = H^2 which means Peter needed to first find x by using the right triangle area formula and then -

_Screech_

“May, what are you doing?” He turned around to find his aunt struggling to move his bed into the center of the room. 

“I’m going into the attic. What does it look like I’m doing?”

The attic?! Where he had his Spider-Man sweat suit?

“No!” Peter shot out of his chair sending it spiraling in circles as he went to stop his aunt from lifting the latch.

“May! May! Wait. Whoa, wait a minute.”

“What is it?” She asked looking down at him like he was some type of wild animal. “I’m just looking for our Christmas tree.”

“I’ll get it! Let me help, please. It’s - it’s the least I can do.”

A warm smile crossed May’s face and she hopped off his bed. “Your such a sweetheart, you know that?”

Peter shrugged modestly. “Yeah well you already decorated the entire house. I want to at least help you set up the tree.”

“Good!” May exclaimed, “Because I was going to ask you to decorate it with me.”

Peter must have glanced at his homework subconsciously because May was quickly backtracking on her previous statement.

“Of course you don’t have to. I know you’re busy and so much has happened to us this year. It’s okay if you don’t feel like celebrating.”

Peter’s heart clenched tightly as he thought about his Uncle Ben’s death, and all the guilt that had brought him this year. Then he thought about May and all the pain she had gone through.

Peter didn’t want to remember the hours he had spent sitting outside May’s bedroom waiting for her to get out of bed. He didn’t want to remember how broken up she had been. How she checked the locks on their apartment door four times every night before going to bed, how she cried in her sleep, how she freaked out over every little thing. Peter didn’t want to remember those last four months.

But strangely, during one of their common breakdowns (when May would scream at Peter, and Peter would scream back before they both burst into tears and hugged one another for hours) that’s when May said something to him that really stuck.

He shouldn’t focus on the negative. Instead, he should focus on all the good he still has in life. 

And it was a weird time to do that, Peter knew. When he was in his grubbiest sweats, standing in his own messy bedroom, stomach full from mini Christmas cupcakes his aunt made earlier and hopped up on caffeine from the store-brand coke cans than he was downing as he worked on his trigonometry homework. 

It was such a weird time to count his blessings.

A weird time to feel so much admiration for his Aunt. 

A weird time to feel so damn lucky. 

But that’s what Peter felt when he looked at May. Lucky to be related to this wonderful woman. She was trying to get in the mood for Christmas. She was trying to be as happy and positive as possible, but more than anything, she was trying to find a way for them to feel like a family again. She wanted company. Peter could give her that. 

He might not be able to bring his uncle back, and maybe he couldn’t forgive himself but he can make sure his Aunt was happy. 

“No way. My homework can wait. I want to decorate with you.”

Since they lost Ben, they made it a habit to say I love you almost everyday. May wouldn’t let him go to sleep after a fight without saying those words. _Just in case we don’t see each other tomorrow morning_.

It was morbid reasoning, but Peter understood and was thankful for this new rule they somehow acquired. He hoped he could show May he meant those words. Because as they say, actions speak louder than words, and Peter was tired of feeling like he was failing his Aunt. 

But when he saw May’s hopeful smile and the shimmering lights from his bedroom mirror dancing off her eyes, he felt like maybe he wasn’t failing her after all. 

If she knew he was Spider-Man, dear God, that would be a huge failure in Peter’s department which is why he needed to keep it a secret, even if he felt horrible for keeping secrets from May. It was worth it because it kept her from worrying. They also say ignorance is a bliss. That’s where Peter wanted May to stay: in blissful ignorance. At least for a while. Until she was able to handle that type of fear again. 

He grabbed the huge box inside the attic, with the tree in it and slid it down to May without taking his suit with him. 

May squealed in excitement and grabbed the box from him rushing out of his bedroom. Peter chuckled quietly to himself as he grabbed a few boxes filled with ornaments and climbed down from the attic. 

“I’m carrying the top part! You carry the end.” May called from the living room. 

Peter picked up the trunk and carried it into the warm living room. They went about putting the pieces together until at last it was tall enough to touch their ceiling.

“Aw look at it.” May said while she fanned out the branched. She took a step back and proudly huffed at the festive plant. 

“So? Should we start decorating it?” Peter asked glancing at the bare tree.

May squealed in delight. “Yes! Let’s start decorating. Oh put on some Christmas music.”

Peter rushed over to the computer and pulled up a Christmas playlist on YouTube. Deck the Halls started playing and Peter couldn’t resist singing the Fa-la-la-la-la’s.

May started with the lights, wrapping them around the tree multiple times. Peter held the long string for her while she twisted around the tree. 

“Okay, let’s turn it on really quick to make sure they look good and then we’ll turn it off until all the bulbs are on.”

Peter nodded and connected the plug to the wall, before flipping the light-switch. May gasped as the white lights that were nestled between the pine needles twinkled, casting a golden glow. 

“Peter it’s beautiful!” She exclaimed opening her arms up for a hug which he gladly accepted. 

“Where’s our star for the top?” Peter asked and May began searching through the boxes. “I don’t know.” 

“I’ll go check the attic again.” Peter exclaimed. He heard May singing O’Christmas Tree as he climbed back into the attic to find the missing star. He searched high and low until he found a little box covered in cobwebs and dust hidden beneath one of Peter’s old baby blankets which he forgot May and Ben held on to.

They were weening him off of it slowly when he was a toddler. Peter used to carry that thing everywhere with him. It was the only thing he had of his parents since it was wrapped around his body the night May and Ben picked him up from his parent’s house. 

Peter hardly remembered his parents. Ned asked him a lot about them when they first met. He couldn’t understand how Peter didn’t know his parents.

“Everyone has parents.”

“Yeah, but I don’t remember what they were like. I was just a baby when May and Ben brought me home.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Because my parents died.”

“But why?”

“I don’t know, Ned. Aunt May said they were in an accident.”

“Did you see the accident?”

“No.”

“Did you love your parents?”

“Yes. I mean... I think? I was a baby, dude, I’m sure I probably did.” 

Peter rummaged through the box and found the star he was looking for, but he also found a lot of old art projects he had made at pre-school. 

Yarn, glitter, paste, popsicle sticks, pipe-cleaners, construction paper, and crayons. Ben had so many of Peter’s little home-made arts and crafts projects saved it hurt Peter’s heart. He felt his throat close tightly in an uncomfortable way. One that warned him tears were about to come. But he couldn’t stop looking through the box. 

He found one ornament that had a picture of the three of them: Peter was four or five, and he had frosting on his nose. May was kissing his cheek while Ben was tickling his stomach. It was the happiest he had ever seen his uncle. They all were all smiling larger than life. 

Peter felt his eyes go misty as he picked it up and examined the photo closer. What once was and will never be the same again. His lower lip quivered and before he could stop himself the first tear escaped, rolling slowly down his cheek. Peter didn’t bother to wipe it away. He relished in the solace of a good cry. 

“Hey, Pete, honey, do you want some eggnog?”

May knew he hated eggnog but every year she wanted him to try it again. 

“Peter? What’s taking so long.”

He sniffled, and wiped at his eyes. “Sorry. I found the star.” He whispered and he knew May would hear the tears in his voice.

“Peter come down from there.” She said, sounding panicked.

“It’s okay, May.” He whispered as he carried the box down with him. “I found some of Uncle Ben’s old stuff.”

May sat down next to Peter on his bed. She sat the box on her lap and began rummaging through it, laughing watery at the reindeer with a football helmet. Peter may have hated sports but Ben was a fanatic. 

“Oh I remember when he bought this. I was so mad because he made me wait in a line for two hours just to get this for free.”

Peter snorted. “Ben always was a cheapskate wasn’t he?”

May nodded, closing her eyes and letting the first tear fall. Peter’s breath caught in his throat but May held a soft warm smile, like she had a glimpse of her husband again. She’d been too frail, too hollowed-eyed for months. If it puts a smile on her face, Peter could handle the pain.

She leaned over kissing the top of his head. “I love you.” She whispered into his soft brown locks, and Peter mumbled the same response into her shoulder. 

They needed this. To grieve together. For too long they had been trying to do it alone. Peter slammed his door after the funeral and refused to talk to May. Not because he was mad at her, but because he was mad at himself. But it only hurt worse to wallow alone. 

“Eggnog?” Peter asked suddenly, “Again?”

“This time you’ll love it.”

Peter curled his socked toes and shook his head. “Bleh! Gross.”

“Come on, let’s finish decorating this tree.”

Peter got off his bed like lightning and ran into the living room. “I want to place the star!”

At last, after much debate on where to put the ornaments, Peter and May stood back with satisfaction as their little Christmas tree sparkled like stars in the night sky, and shimmered against each ornament, giving a delightful charming feel. 

May had hung the picture of the three of them in the center of the tree. Peter grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around himself and his aunt while watching with awe as the tree continued to glow. 

It was as if the Christmas Tree was trying to say that Peter and May were going to be okay. 

**Author's Note:**

> Lots of different mixes between other Characters in the MCU and Peter will be coming up in this winter series, so stick around and follow this series for a little more fluff this Holiday season. :)


End file.
